Scholastic Art Awards

Forty Virginia high school students will head for college with an extra measure of confidence. They’re winners of a national art competition that awards medals, scholarships and a measure of prestige that could ensure admission to one of this country’s top art schools.

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Sandy Hausman reports.

The Scholastic Art Awards go to kids who create in one of 17 categories, from film and fashion design to video games, mixed media and performance art. This year, 3,300 students from 60 cities and counties sent their work to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, and more than 11-hundred were recognized with regional prizes.

Jessica Bauserman, coordinator of youth and family events, says they were invited to visit the museum and in some cases to see their work on the walls.

“We actually get to bring in the award recipients to the museum - many of which have never been here before. Over about 60% I think came for the first time, so we offered portfolio reviews and had a community mural making project going on and artist demonstrations. They had a chance to meet some of the jurors, so it was a really hopefully rewarding experience for the recipients.”

Winners went on to national competition, and forty of them were recognized with gold or silver medals.

That should help them get into art schools or universities with strong art departments, and Bauserman says more honors could be in the offing.

“We actually have five or six artists in our permanent collection that were once scholastic winners.”

235 pieces of winning student work will be on display thru April 15th at the museum in Richmond.